


Day 095

by Josh_the_Bard



Series: A Year in Kirkwall [95]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:15:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23481559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Josh_the_Bard/pseuds/Josh_the_Bard
Summary: Content Warning for Depression
Relationships: Lady Elegant/Wendelin (Dragon Age OC)
Series: A Year in Kirkwall [95]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1589257
Kudos: 1





	Day 095

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warning for Depression

Lady Elegant woke up, rolled over, and looked at her husband. He was wide awake, staring silently at the ceiling. His eyes were red and dry but she could see the tracks the tears had left down his face.

“Good morning,” she whispered. He turned towards her, a few days of stubble sprouted from his face. They lay there staring into each other's eyes until Elegant could take the silence no longer.

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replied. She leaned over and kissed his cheek, then his forehead and finally his lips, he gave her a halfhearted kiss back but otherwise didn’t react.

“I wish,” he said, voice hoarse, “that I could drift into the Uthenera. Like the legends of the ancient elves. And wake up when I wasn't so miserable.” He turned his gaze back to the ceiling. “I’m so sorry. I know you must have a thousand things to do today, but I can’t stand the idea of being alone with my thoughts.”

“I have nothing to do that can’t wait,” she said. “I’ll ring for some breakfast and-”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You still need to eat,” she said firmly. “I’ll ring for some food and call for some actors to come and give us a private show.” Wendelin said nothing at that, so Elegant set to work. She had a breakfast of eggs and jam on toast, Wendalin had plain porridge. He always had porridge when he was feeling like this, he said there was no sense wasting enjoyable food when he couldn’t enjoy it.

Elegant helped her husband wash, and dress. At last enough so as not to scandalize the actors. They sat in their dining room, the servants had cleared most of the furniture out to make room, and watched the troupe perform some play or other. Wndalin lay with his head in Elegant’s lap and said nothing while the play unfolded before them. Elegant absently ran her hands through her husband’s hair, as if she could soothe the thoughts that assaulted his mind.

The actors did an admirable job but, truth be told, they were only there to fill time until the afternoon when Varric would be the right combination of awake and sober to accept a summons. This was far from the first time she had called on his services and the dwarf made no comment on the state of Lord Wendelin.

“What sort of story did you want today?” was all he asked. Elegant left just enough of a pause so that her husband could interject if he so chose. As he didn’t, she took the lead.

“I’m sure you and Hawke must have had some new and exciting adventures in the best few weeks,” she said. Varric smiled, took a seat and began to work his magic.

“I don’t know if you heard,” he said, “but the remaining Tal-Vashoth, (those are the Qunari too savage to be contained by the Qun) managed to take one of the merchant ships docked in the harbor.” Lady Elegant let out a gasp. She was reasonably sure she would have heard about something like that, but she could never be quite sure. The only thing more extraordinary the stories Varric made up were the stories he didn’t.

“They thought,” Varric continued, “they would try their hand at becoming pirates.” Varric wove a wild tale about horned pirates terrorizing merchants on the Waking Sea. Hawke and his legendary companions hid aboard one such ship, laying in wait for the inevitable attack. The pirates attacked just as a storm rolled in and the fierce battle that followed was accentuated by lightning strikes and towering waves that threatened to splinter boath boats. In the end Hawke emerged victorious, as if there were any doubt. Wendelin was silent for the performance but watched and listened intently. Varric bought his tale to a delightful close well after the sun went down.

“Same time tomorrow?” Varric asked. 

“I think so,” Elegant said, walking the dwarf to the door. When they were out of earshot of Wendelin she added. “He is having an especially bad time of it. When it’s this bad it usually lasts a few days.” Varric nodded and left, offering Lady Elegant a reassuring smile as he went.

She went back to the dining hall to help Wendelin back upstairs. She helped him undress for bed and a servant came to tuck them in.

“What if I don’t ever feel happy again?” Wendelin asked softly.

“You will,” Elegant assured him. “You always do.”

“But what if it’s different this time? You’ll leave me for someone better. Someone who knows how to be happy.”

Elegant kissed her husband’s forehead. “Never,” she said. “I’m with you forever.”

And then, because neither of them knew what else to do, they fell asleep in each other's arms.


End file.
